


𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

by gowhyejuu



Series: STAND BY ME (LOONA) [3]
Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Dimension Travel, Dragons, F/F, Falling In Love, Flower Crowns, Flowers, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Hybrids, Implied Sexual Content, Lesbian Character, Light Angst, Magic, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Prequel, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25751425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gowhyejuu/pseuds/gowhyejuu
Summary: 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐌𝐄 prequel story:the love story of Jinsoul and Jungeun
Relationships: Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip
Series: STAND BY ME (LOONA) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1661191
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

**Author's Note:**

> FOR THOSE WHO HAVE READ 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐌𝐄, you may skip right to the story!
> 
> FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐌𝐄, A BIT OF INFO:
> 
> • this a prequel story of my main chaptered story 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐌𝐄!   
> • you CAN read this on its own, however know that anything mentioned in this story that is may seem redundant is actually relevant to my main story!  
> • the characters here are dragon hybrids (if you want more lore on the subject, you should read 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐌𝐄 but for brief rundown:
> 
> \- Fauna hybrids: dragon hybrids that create and control nature. They also have the ability to speak to and understand animals.
> 
> \- Aqua hybrids: dragon hybrids that can create and control water. They can also breathe underwater.
> 
> (keep in mind that there are 4 other main hybrid types in total, but they are only mentioned and irrelevant to this story. A more in depth explanation is in the main story 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐌𝐄)
> 
> Every other ability or lore information that is relevant to the story will be stated.
> 
> ANYWAY, enjoy this story!

Jinsoul leaned back against the tree as she lifted her head towards the cloudless late-afternoon sky. She closed her eyes as she faced the sun, avoiding its blinding rays. As the summer breeze whisked past her, she got a whiff of the vanilla scent. The more she smelt the aroma, the more her mind was put at ease. 

As minutes passed by, Jinsoul lowered her head and opened her eyes as she let out a weary sigh. Today had been a rough day. It had been a long time since she had been able to catch a break from her routine life. But, even with the few hours she had to relax, it did not erase how hectic the morning had been. With a busy schedule combined with strict parents, it was a recipe for stress. But, it was the life she was born into and there was no escaping it.

Well, not yet, anyway.

Jinsoul was about to turn seventeen in a few days, which should be exciting. However, that day would be anything but that since she would have to accompany her parents to a council meeting. Initially, Jinsoul would be fine with that considering that it took place in the morning for a few hours. However, after she learned of all the work she had to do following that meeting, her hopes were squashed.

Her parents were very successful socialites - her father being a wealthy entrepreneur while owning many restaurants all over the dimension, while her mother was both an acclaimed model and actress. So, on the plus side, they were one of the richest families in Lympha - the aqua hybrid dimension and their home. But, that left a ton of pressure on Jinsoul, brought upon her by her family, for her to be as accomplished. She already was following in her mother's footsteps and was already doing acting and modeling, ever since she was a little girl. In retrospect, being brought up in a wealthy and famous family really can have a negative effect on your upbringing.

Jinsoul had a lot of pressure to be the golden child. Her parents always had expectations of her, which usually translated to her being consistently perfect. Whenever Jinsoul was around them, she tried to put on her best performance and act according to these expectations. It felt suffocating, but it was the only way from her parents to leave her be.

But, there were some moments where she did not have to put on an act. 

With another sigh, Jinsoul stood up from the ground that she had been sitting on from the past twenty minutes. In the short distance, she could see a familiar place - the main reason why she came here. She gradually strolled her way over to the lake, preparing herself for an activity that she had done many times before. 

As she reached the edge of the lake, Jinsoul took off her sandals and laid them on top of her folded towel, both being on the ground near her feet. She took the scrunchie that was around her wrist and used it to tie back her hair into a ponytail. She sat down at the edge of the lake, bare legs dipped into the water up to her bent knees. The water was warm, being heated by the hot summer sun. A minute later, Jinsoul pushed herself off the edge and into the lake, fully submerged up to her shoulders. 

Whenever Jinsoul got the chance, she would always go swimming. It was a huge stress reliever and a great escape from her taxing life. Not only that but she was able to connect with her dragon side. Being an aqua hybrid, Jinsoul had abilities that revolved around water, as she could create and control it. She could breathe underwater, leading her to spend hours swimming without breaks. Jinsoul could not explain it but she felt a strong attachment to water, ever since a young age. Of course, it had everything to do with her aqua dragon side, but still. She could never get enough of it.

With the time she had left before going home, Jinsoul let her dragon side run wild as she began to feel her wings growing out of her back. The dragon wings were light blue and covered in scales that assisted her in swimming. For the next hour, Jinsoul would make the most of the moment before she had to return to mundane life.

***

"Where have you been?"

Jinsoul walked into the kitchen, drying her wet hair with a towel. She opened the pantry and began to look through it as she addressed her mother.

"I was out swimming," Jinsoul responded as she took out a bag of chips. 

"I told you that you should stop going out there so much." Her mother warned, setting down her teacup on the counter. "You know that paparazzi are always around. You have to be careful."

"Barely anyone knows that place, anyway," Jinsoul stated. The lake was in a pretty secluded area in the forest, which most people did not know about. That was another reason she felt safe there. "I've been there dozens of times and have never been spotted."

"Still, you know how nosy they are. It's not like that place is hidden." Her mother retorted. "Just try to go less, okay? Maybe stop swimming for a few months. People already think you're strange as it is."

Jinsoul grumbled but did not verbally respond to her suggestion. It was not the first time they have had this conversation and will certainly not be the last. 

"Anyway, how was your day?" Jinsoul asked monotonously, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, it was wonderful, honey!" Her mother exclaimed. "I met up with some of my college friends and we went out to lunch! We had a grand time catching up, truly!"

"Cool." Jinsoul rolled her eyes subtly as she grabbed a soda and headed out of the kitchen. She assumed the conversation would end there, but clearly, her mother had more to say.

"They even asked about you!" Her mother continued. "They asked how you were doing and what you've been up to. Then about your love life..."

And there it was.

"Mom..."

"Oh come on, honey! You're about to be seventeen years old and you still aren't trying to be in a relationship. You can't wait so long!"

"Mom," Jinsoul began with a groan. "First of all, I don't have to be in a relationship when I'm only seventeen. There are people who in their mid-twenties and still haven't dated. Secondly, I've told you this over a thousand times: I'm not interested."

"You have to date someone!" Her mother protested. "You are a beautiful girl! Any guy or girl would love to date you! You can't wait until you're my age until you date!"

"I might not even date at all..." Jinsoul commented. After a bad relationship experience, she decided not to date anymore. It was too much of an emotional investment, and Jinsoul did not want her heart broken again. Whatever interest she had in love was ripped out of her the moment her previous relationship ended. 

"Don't say that! What about that last boy you dated? What happened to him?"

"Mom, I told you." Jinsoul sighed. "It didn't work out. He was a sick person and fucked me up mentally. I don't want to talk about it anymore..."

"Then what about that one girl you have been friends with for a year?"

"Has a girlfriend." Jinsoul opened her soda and took a sip.

"Then what about that guy you are working with in that k-drama you filmed?"

"Mom."

"Yes?"

"He's gay." 

"Oh..." Her mother laughed sheepishly. "Well, still. There are plenty of people who would be interested if we actually tried."

"I already told you, mom." Jinsoul glared at her. "I don't want to date anyone. I want to be single for the rest of my life! Stop pestering me about it! You clearly don't understand what I want because if you did you wouldn't constantly be asking me!"

"Wait, honey!" Jinsoul heard her mother say as she stormed out of the kitchen. She took her chips and soda up to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. 

Setting her food and drink down on her desk, Jinsoul plopped down onto the bed, face smashing into the pillow as groaned loudly. Truthfully, it was not the constant pestering of her mother to date people that got her so upset. It was the blatant disregard of why she did not want to. Jinsoul had told her mother months ago of how her ex-boyfriend had assaulted and emotionally abused her, which led to her finally cutting it quits after a year of putting up with it. But even then, her mother just did not seem to understand the situation and thought it was "not a big deal" and thought that they could "talk it out". So every time Jinsoul would tell her why her mother would insist that they get back together. It was infuriated and really showed how much her mother misunderstood her. Maybe Jinsoul will date again but that would take a while. She was too heartbroken to give her love to anyone else.

If Jinsoul were to love again, the person would have to be someone who could love her not for her image or popularity or wealth. The person should not love her for her faked image of perfection. She needed someone who could love her for who she was behind the persona. Someone who could help her unlock a better side of herself. Someone who could understand her for what she truly was.

In conclusion - someone who could set her free.

***

"Dinner is ready!!" Jungeun declared, loud enough for the whole house to hear. Within a few seconds, a bunch of energetic kids came running down the steps and into the dining area. They were pushing past each other, trying to be the first one to reach the table full of hot food. 

"Hey, no running!"

"Daejung, don't push your sister!"

"Yumi, make sure to wash your hands before you touch the food!"

Minutes later, almost all of her ten siblings were sitting at the dining table, ravenously eating the food that was in front of them. There was only one person left that needed to be here.

"Jiwon, where is Hwayoung?" Jungeun asked the second oldest sibling. The sister looked at her and shrugged, mouth full of food. 

Jungeun chuckled as she walked out of the dining area to go find her youngest sibling. She searched around for a while until she found the toddler in the living room, playing with their dog. Jungeun had to pause at the doorway as she could not help but smile at the pure scene before her. Their dog, which was a beagle named Jia, was running around excitedly as Hwayoung was throwing toys for them to catch. Jungeun almost did not want to interrupt them but she, unfortunately, had to.

"What are you doing here, cutie?" Jungeun scooped up Hwayoung and held the giggling toddler in her arms. 

"Doggy!" Hwayoung exclaimed, pointing at the hyper beagle on the floor. 

"Aw, were you having fun with Jia?" 

Hwayoung nodded repeatedly and continued to laugh as the beagle was prancing around at Jungeun's feet. 

"How cute," Jungeun commented as she smiled uncontrollably. Even after a troublesome day, the toddler somehow found a way to make her grin. 

Jungeun was so wrapped up in the precious moment that she did not notice the person standing near the entryway. She only turned around when Jia had stopped prancing and began barking at someone behind them - a woman that was familiar to all of them.

"Great-grandmother!" Jungeun gasped. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still traveling!"

"I was but it turns out that the trip would be shorter than originally expected." The great-grandmother explained. "So I decided to come home a day early! I hope you do not mind."

"Oh, not at all!" Jungeun shook her head. Truthfully, she missed her great-grandmother greatly. With both of Jungeun's parents being busy, it was a relief to see her again after over a week. The elder would always go traveling, some with intent while others were just for enjoyment, leaving Jungeun alone with her siblings. So she would always be ecstatic when her great-grandmother was home.

"Well, look at you, little one." The great-grandmother chuckled at Hwayoung, who was reaching out to the elder while giggling. She took the toddler from Jungeun's arms and held her on her own.

"I probably should take Hwayoung off your hands. You look tired." 

"Oh, just a little bit!" Jungeun laughed abashedly. When her parents were out of the house, she would often be the "mother" for all of her siblings, being the oldest of eleven. All-day Jungeun had cooked, cleaned, and cared for them. It was tiring but she genuinely enjoyed taking care of others. It gave her elation to help those who are younger than her, no matter if she was ten years older than them or even just a few.

"You should go take a break." The great-grandmother suggested. "I can handle your siblings for the rest of the day. You should go out and relax for a few hours."

"Are you sure? You know I don't mind." Jungeun questioned nervously. She did not want to push her responsibilities on other people, especially when she was more than capable of doing so on her own. 

"I am very sure! Go have your fun!" The great-grandmother encouraged. "You have been working hard all day! It's already five in the evening and I don't want you to get burnt out."

"Wow, uh, thank you!" Jungeun said before giving her and Hwayoung a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back soon!"

"See you later, sweetie!" 

"Buh bye!" Hwayoung shouted while waving.

Jungeun grinned and waved back before walking towards the front door. Even with her hesitancy, she was eager to unwind after days of non-stop work. 

Even with the few hours, Jungeun knew exactly what she was about to do.

***

"And that's how I found out that she was cheating on me." 

All at once, a bunch of animals that were surrounding her became noisy. Jungeun looked down at them from the tree branch she was sitting on, chuckling at their reactions. 

"I know, it sucks but I'm really not surprised." Jungeun shrugged. "She started to not hang out with me as much a month into our relationship. I knew she started to like other people more than me so I'm not shocked. It just hurts that she couldn't just break it off with me first."

When she finished speaking, a tiny red bird came and perched near her legs. They began to tweet repeatedly as if it was trying to speak to her. Luckily, Jungeun could understand every word. Being a fauna hybrid, she could comprehend what any animal was saying, as well as speak to them. It was a useful skill for someone who did not have many people she could discuss her daily ordeals with. Animals were smarter than people think, having gained wisdom from keen observation. With most people in her life either being too young to understand or too old to relate, Jungeun's animal friends were perfect for discussing her problems with.

"I don't why I held on for so long," Jungeun admitted. "I just thought, maybe, she would like me again? I loved her but I guess she didn't feel the same. Oh well, we're broken up now so that's in the past."

A fawn came closer to the base of the tree and started to make bleating noises while bowing its head.

"Yeah, third failed relationship. But, I'm used to it. No need to feel sorry for me; I'm still young."

This was Jungeun's third break-up. She had only started to date a year ago and has already been through three girlfriends. Now, Jungeun was fifteen, so by a human or other dragon hybrid types standards, she was still too young for a solid relationship.

However, fauna hybrids were different with relationships. Most of them are already married before eighteen and have kids before they even reach their twenties. That was the reason why most households had young parents with four or five children already (which was usually the average number of children a fauna dragon would have). That was also the reason why when most of them reached adolescence, they already start looking for a lover. So, by her society's norms, she was on track.

Jungeun was not in a hurry, however. Of course, she desired to have a solid relationship with a girl, ever since she was young. But, she would not be so quick to marry or have kids. Truthfully, Jungeun was willing to wait until she found the perfect girlfriend that she could settle down with. Her parents, on the other hand, were pushing her to find a girlfriend before she reached eighteen years old. And while that was three years away, Jungeun could not stand her parents' constant nagging about how she was still single. They would repeatedly say that, since she was the oldest and the "role model" for her siblings, she would have to "set the example". 

Jungeun wanted to not be so impatient with love, knowing that will happen at its own pace. Eventually, she would find that perfect girl that would make her fall head over heels. But for now, she knew she had to wait. 

"Sometimes I wonder if this fate flower was even meant for me..." Jungeun commented, looking at the flower design on her wrist. Fate flowers were sacred tattoos that would determine a trait or skill that the holder would possess in the future. Only fauna dragons had them and they appear at a young age. Each flower design had its own meaning. For Jungeun, her flower was a myrtle, which stood for "marital luck". This should mean that she would have not only have any problem finding a girlfriend but also that this girlfriend would be meant for her, almost like a soulmate. But after three failed relationships, Jungeun was not so sure that this flower was working.

"Do you think I'll even find the person that's right for me?..." Jungeun asked, leaning against the tree trunk while she let her legs dangle off the branch. The same red bird came onto her lap and started to tweet repeatedly. She listened carefully to what her animal friend was saying, a small grin growing on her face.

"You really think so?" Jungeun asked, looking at the bird with hope in her eyes. The bird nodded, as well as all the other animals as they made noises in unison.

"If you think I'll find the love of my life then I believe you!" Jungeun claimed, smiling gratefully. Her animal friends were never wrong, so she had immense faith in them. 

Deep down in her heart, Jungeun knew that the woman of her dreams was out there somewhere. Maybe she was not looking hard enough. Maybe some weird coincidence will put them together. With being busy taking care of her ten siblings, Jungeun never had time to settle down and actually have time to get close with other people besides animals. Maybe that is why she would cling onto other people who were not a part of her family. Honestly, sometimes she needed a break from the same old. 

She needed some thrill or adventure in her life. Or at least something different from what she was used to.

She needed someone who could show her new side of life. Someone who would be willing to break from the norms so they could live their lives the way they wanted.

In conclusion - someone who could set her free.

***

"Remember to stand up straight and do not get distracted." 

Jinsoul stepped out of the limo as her father continued to instruct her. She started to block out her parents' lecturing when she saw the large building in front of her. It was the council meeting place which, for the most part, looked the same as always. The only difference was that it had been partially renovated, with the building being cleaned and redecorated. The building was made out of wood, as it was created by fauna hybrids centuries ago as a meeting place, and it was kept that way as a sign of respect. This renovated building was still made of wood but was now less brittle and more fine-grained. In addition, there were now floral arrangements decorating the building and the area surrounding it. It looked awe-inspiring and certainly different from what Jinsoul was used to in the city, which was a good thing.

When Jinsoul was done admiring the building, she noticed that there were a few people still working on the decorations. Based on the fact that they were materializing these flowers using magic, she could tell that they were fauna hybrids. While aqua dragons could create and control water, fauna dragons could do the same but with nature instead of water. Jinsoul had never met any other dragon type besides her own. Looking at all of them, aqua hybrids and fauna hybrids did not look much different, in terms of their human-like forms. The only difference that Jinsoul noticed was that aqua hybrids dressed fancier while fauna hybrids dressed more casual, but that was where the distinctions ended.

The more she stared, Jinsoul noticed this one girl who was near the doorway. She was decorating like everyone else but chose to focus on the garden in front of the building. Something about this girl intrigued Jinsoul but she could not say what. It could be the long light brown hair, with strands that would dance as an effect of the cool breeze. It could be her sun-kissed skin that seemed to glow under the sunlight. It could be the innocence that was manifested on the girl's face, along with a tiny pout on her face that she seemed to make when trying to concentrate. This girl also wore a simple white dress with a green string tied at her waist. She also had a flower crown on her head made with roses of many colors. 

Simply put, the fauna hybrid looked ravishing.

"Jinsoul!" 

Jinsoul was startled out of her thoughts, jerking around to face her frustrated father.

"Were you even listening to me?" The father asked, crossing his arms and tapping his foot against the sidewalk in exasperation.

"Yes, I was," Jinsoul replied, partially lying. However, this was not the first time her parents have lectured her on how to act, so she did not need to listen to know what they were going to say. "Just act professional and don't socialize with anyone. I get it."

"I see you had your eye on those fauna hybrids." The mother noted, looking towards the group of workers. "You shouldn't give them much attention. They are not worth it."

"Why? They aren't much different from us." Jungeun asked, noticing the disgust in her mother's tone.

"They are, Jinsoul. Fauna hybrids are supposed to be inferior to us. They are dirty and lack many morals, it's not right to associate with them. You are better off ignoring their existence."

"Never trust a fauna hybrid." The father added, glaring at the workers.

Jinsoul barely listened to her parents' ignorance. It was no secret that they looked down on anyone who is not aqua hybrids, which she did not understand. All six types of dragons were valid and equal; no one was more important than the other. Jinsoul always saw fauna hybrids as hardworking and kindhearted people. Sometimes, she found herself relating to them more than her own type. 

Besides, how could they be "dirty" and "immoral" when the purest girl she had ever seen was a few feet away from her?

Jinsoul walked with her parents into the building, blocking out their idiocy. As she walked down the walkway, the girl from earlier just so happened to lift her head. Immediately after Jinsoul and the girl had met eyes, it felt like time had slowed down. The fauna hybrid had hypnotizing brown eyes that would prevent her from looking away. After a few seconds of neutrality, her lips stretched into a large grin and her eyes became crescents. With the accompaniment of a small wave, she so adorable that Jinsoul started to smile without realization.

Strangely, the moment felt like it went on for minutes despite it being only a few seconds. Something about this girl was certainly fascinating - so much so that Jinsoul had not stopped staring until her mother tapped on her shoulder.

"Do not focus on them." The mother would say as they entered the building.

Jinsoul rolled her eyes but took one last glance at the girl before entering. They both waved to each other before the fauna hybrid began to concentrate back on her work while the aqua hybrid walked through the door.

But as the two disappeared from each other's view, they both wore a gloomy expression on their faces.

***

Jungeun kept her eyes fixed on the window of the building. She was supposed to be working but she just could not get it off her mind.

She could not get 𝘩𝘦𝘳 of her mind.

Abandoning her work altogether, Jungeun walked closer to the window to have a clearer look inside. There, sitting at the right side of the table nearest to the door, was the girl from earlier. Jungeun barely had an opportunity to actually admire her beauty as she had noticed her much too late. As she stared, Jungeun took interest in the maturity this girl had written all over her - from her neatly styled blonde hair, to the impassive and pleasant facial expression, and even down to the classy blue dress she was wearing. All of that one its own was not too special, but all of those features combined with her alluring appearance just made Jungeun want to never look away.

Eventually, that girl had noticed her, which made Jungeun stand there motionless due to panic. But luckily, the aqua hybrid seemed not too bothered by this as she gave her a tiny smile. Jungeun smiled back, a warm feeling rising in her chest as her heart skipped a beat. 

If Jungeun knew that she would be seeing women like her at these meetings, she would have volunteered on renovations years ago.

"Somebody is in love."

Jungeun jerked around as she heard her great-grandmother speaking to her.

"No, I'm not!" Jungeun retorted, redness in her cheeks. "I just... I like to admire pretty women, that's all."

"Mhm, sure." The great-grandmother rolled her eyes. "That's what they all say."

"Look, it's not that I 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 like her." Jungeun reasoned. "But, she just...amazes me. I look at her and I think that's more to her than at first glance. I just want to learn more about her, that's all."

"Well, what's stopping you?" 

"Isn't it obvious?" Jungeun sighed as she stared at the girl again. "We're both too different. I'm a fauna hybrid, she's an aqua hybrid. We aren't meant to mix together well. Besides, she's probably not interested in a plain girl like me."

"I beg to differ." The great-grandmother began to explain. "I have met all kinds of people of all types, including some humans. If there is anything that I have learned through the centuries is that dragon type does not determine personality. Some fauna hybrids can be more aggressive, just like some aqua hybrids can be more relaxed and open-minded. There is no defining character traits for any, just century-old stereotypes. Similarly, relationships, whether platonic or romantic, are never predetermined. I may have married my own type, but I could have certainly dated another."

"But, why didn't you?"

"The thought of dragon type never crossed my mind. It was the personality that attracted me to others, not what type of hybrid they were. I could have been with another fauna hybrid, or an aqua hybrid, or flame hybrid, or any other. I could have even dated a human, even though that was difficult back in the day. The point is that you should not let prejudice and outdated stereotypes stand in the way of you building relationships. If you eventually love this girl, go with your heart and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"So, you really think I should try?" Jungeun concluded.

"Of course you should. Even if you two end up just being friends, at least you guys have some sort of connection." 

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." Jungeun agreed. It would not hurt to try, anyway. She was intrigued by this girl and maybe they could become close despite their differences.

"But I'm just doing to become friends, that's it."

"Well, Ms. "Just friends"." The great-grandmother teased. "You better make your plan of action quickly since it looks like she is coming outside."

"Wait, what?!" Jungeun exclaimed as she turned back towards the window. Looking through it, the girl was no longer sitting there, despite her parents and everyone else still in the same place. Just as she was about to question, there was a quick tap on her shoulder, causing her to jump as she shouted.

"Ah!!" Jungeun screamed, causing the perpetrator to jump as well. 

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry!" The girl quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's okay! I just..." Jungeun's voice trailed off as she saw who she was talking to. Standing in front of her was the girl from earlier. From close up, she looked even gorgeous as more of her distinct features were clearer. Jungeun could go on forever about how attractive this girl looked. It took her a while before she broke from her trance, realizing that she had been staring with a slack-jaw for a long time.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked with an awkward smile, looking at Jungeun amusedly.

"Uh, yes! Of course, I'm sorry!" Jungeun bowed her respectfully. Unfortunately, she had brought her head down too fast and caused her flower crown to fall right off her head. Jungeun felt her face start to burn up from embarrassment, knowing she just made a fool of herself.

Luckily for her, this girl seemed to find it humorous as Jungeun heard a short chuckle come from her. The aqua hybrid bent down and picked up the flower crown, smiling throughout.

"Here, let me fix that for you." The girl offered as she gently placed the flower crown on Jungeun's head. 

"Oh, um, thank you." 

"Don't worry about it." The girl waved it off. "It was my fault, anyway."

"No, you're fine! I just overreacted." Jungeun reassured before shifting the subject: "Excuse me for asking but...why are you out here? Aren't you supposed to be at the meeting?"

"I was, yes. But, I got bored pretty easily. Luckily, my parents allowed me to leave for the rest of the meeting. I thought I would meet you with the time I have."

"Oh." Jungeun blinked with a dumbfounded look. She was not expecting the last sentence. It seemed like a stroke of miraculously good luck that this girl was out here, willing to converse with her, especially after the discussion with her great-grandmother.

"It's okay if you don't want to." 

"No! I want to!" Jungeun speedily claimed. "I just wouldn't expect you to be interested."

"Usually, I'm not." The girl confessed. "But, you just seem... interesting. It could just be nothing but something about you just makes me fascinated by you."

Interesting? That was a word Jungeun thought she would never be associated with. 

"Well, I'm not sure if I'm that interesting but..." Jungeun mumbled, avoiding eye contact. The aqua hybrid seemed to be able to sense her uneasiness because her voice immediately softened. 

"Hey, listen. I know we're not supposed to be interacting because of the tension between our dragon types. I know that aqua hybrids are supposed to be "superior" but just ignore that. We are equal, despite what others say. I don't care about what my parents will say so you don't have to act so nervously. Let's just treat each other like there's no tension, okay?"

"Oh, alright..." 

That was another first: a different hybrid type not treating her kind like they were pests. Most other hybrid types, besides wind hybrids, were pretty hostile towards fauna hybrids. Why?: no one knows. The prejudice seemed to start out of nowhere and continued for centuries. Most other hybrid types treat fauna hybrids like interiors. Maybe it was not as bad as their anger towards humans, but it certainly was prevalent. So hearing this was odd but comforting in some ways.

"Do you want to go for a quick walk or something?" The girl offered. "I mean, we have about thirty minutes and I need to get away from here."

"Oh, yeah! I would love to...uh..." 

"Jinsoul."

"Uh, Jinsoul!" Jungeun corrected. "I'm Jungeun, by the way."

"Jungeun," Jinsoul repeated, pondering on it before letting out a short hum. "Well then, let's hurry before my parents notice."

"Okay!" Jungeun agreed as they started to walk down the sidewalk and into the forest pathway. She took one last glance at her great-grandmother, who had a smirk on her face as she nodded in approval. 

***

"You really love nature, don't you?" 

Jinsoul watched as Jungeun leaped from branch to branch, jumping from one tree to the next. They had been walking for about ten minutes and already the fauna hybrid seemed comfortable as she abandoned using the pathway entirely. Throughout that time, Jungeun had greeted many animals, including birds and squirrels, which Jinsoul found completely wholesome. 

"Of course!" Jungeun replied, stating the obvious. "I lived near it my whole life. I'm a fauna hybrid after all, so I have a deep connection with it."

"That's understandable." Jinsoul nodded. She felt that same strong connection with water, so it was a given.

"You know, I've always wondered this." Jungeun began to ask. "I noticed that most of your dimension is comprised of buildings and is pretty much a large city. I guess what I'm wondering is how come you guys aren't more...connected with water? Like I expected for Lympha to be underwater or something."

"You're right. That doesn't make much sense." Jinsoul agreed. "I don't know why we're like this. Ever since we've advanced in technology, similarly to humans, we've kind of abandoned out roots. Most aqua hybrids barely acknowledge their power or their dragon side. Most of them act like humans most of the time."

"That sucks." Jungeun frowned. "Because I find your type fascinating. To be able to control water is incredible! Besides, you guys have the resources to create an underwater wonderland if you wanted to."

"I wish we could." 

"Anyway, let's return to put the original subject." Jungeun decided, just before she swung on a vine to the next tree. 

"What was it, again?" 

"Ages," Jungeun responded. "I'm fifteen, by the way."

"Really?" Jinsoul was shocked. Even she would have guessed, she would have said at least eighteen. Somehow, Jungeun looked both innocent and mature at the same time.

"Yeah, that's not the first time I've gotten that reaction." Jungeun joked. "You?"

"Well, I just turned seventeen today since it's my birthday."

"What? Today's your birthday?!" Jungeun stopped leaping and stood on this one branch, looking down at the older woman in stun.

"Mhm, it is." 

"Then why are you here when you could be celebrating?!"

"My parents." Jinsoul groaned. "They usually don't care about my birthday. After a turned around five years old, they stopped giving a shit. Even after this meeting, I have a lot of work to do, courtesy of my mother."

"But don't you have friends to take you out or throw you a party?"

"I guess? I have business acquaintances but we usually never talk after work. I don't think they even know my birth date."

"That's insane." Jungeun shook her head in disdain for Jinsoul's family. "My great-grandmother always says that every birthday has to be celebrated, even if with only a small cake. And this is coming from someone who lived with ten siblings so we don't play around."

"Ten siblings?!" Jinsoul exclaimed. "How?- when?-"

"I know." Jungeun giggled. "My mother was very... eager back then. I am the oldest and was born when my mom was only nineteen. Everyone else followed close by since second-oldest just turned thirteen two months ago. We do have a set of twins as well. The youngest is only three years old."

"Wow, that's... certainly a lot." 

"Yeah, it is but it's not too uncommon. Most fauna hybrids have around five to seven kids, so my mom just so happened to double that number. In fact, back then ten kids were the norm."

"But, to have children so young?"

"Yeah, it's crazy." Jungeun continued to jump to the next tree branch. "But not unusual. Most hybrids get married when they've barely reached adulthood, some even marrying younger. Then they have kids soon after, preferable before twenty, and then just continue. My parents often pressure to be the same way but it just doesn't interest me."

"They want that for you?" Jinsoul looked at her in amazement. 

"Yeah, they really do. I mean, don't get me wrong; I want to get married and have kids. But, not so quickly. I don't want to get married until I'm in my mid-twenties since there is so much I want to do before then. Then kids can come anytime after that. But, I'm in no hurry. When I find that right girl, whether that's today or in a few years, I will know it."

Seems like Jinsoul was not the only person getting pushed into relationships by their parents. Although, Jungeun's situation was even more frustrating than her own. She wondered how this girl was able to cope with all that nagging. For Jinsoul, she knew she would go insane.

"Now, back to your birthday issue." Jungeun jumped off the branch and landed perfectly in front of Jinsoul. "We should celebrate it." 

"How?" Jinsoul asked. "We have to start heading back soon."

"We don't have to do something big. I just don't want you to have a boring birthday."

"Then what should we do?"

Jungeun put her hand to her chin as she pondered, eyes wandering as she thought of ideas. Jinsoul noticed that cute pout become present on her face, staring at it with endearment. 

"I could give you a gift, at least!" Jungeun suggested. "And then we could meet up again when you're not busy so we could celebrate! That is...if you want to meet up after this."

"I would be fine with that," Jinsoul confirmed. She did not have many people she could have these kinds of discussions with, so being friends would not be a bad idea. Plus, something about Jungeun's presence was unexplainably soothing.

"Great! Then let me handle your gift!" Jungeun stated. "Now, close your eyes." 

"Uh, okay?" Jinsoul adhered to her commands and closed her eyes without question. There was a bit of shuffling and humming, presumably from Jungeun, which went on for several minutes. 

"Alright, done! You can open your eyes now."

Jinsoul opened her eyes. Immediately she was greeted by a small gift in Jungeun's hands. It was a flower crown, just like the one that the fauna hybrid had on her head. But while hers was made of roses, this one was made of a different type of flower that Jinsoul did not recognize. There were large flowers, of multiple colors, with petals that curled into a circular shape. 

"How did you make this so fast?" Jinsoul asked, gazing upon the gift.

"It's pretty easy with practice and little magic," Jungeun responded. "Here, let me help."

Jungeun took the flower crown and placed it in Jinsoul's head. Afterward, the aqua hybrid took out her phone and opened her camera app, bringing it up to her face. Using the camera as a mirror, Jinsoul was able to see how the flower crown looked on her head and, to summarize, it complemented her well. She was about to thank Jungeun for the gift but noticed that she was no longer paying attention to her; rather, had her eyes fixed on the phone.

"What is that?..." 

"Oh, this is a cellphone? You don't know what-" Jinsoul stopped herself from asking such a dumb question. Fauna hybrids lived without technology, unlike her own species that depended on it. They did not even have a television so of course cellphones were unfamiliar.

"What's a cellphone?" Jungeun asked with curious eyes.

"Um, it's hard to explain but I can teach you next time we meet." 

"I would love that!" Jungeun's eyes lit up in excitement, showing an eager smile. 

"Great."

Jinsoul did not know why but seeing this girl smile so brightly made her heart beat faster. It was a completely foreign feeling to her but not unwanted. She had come across a ton of people and nobody has ever made her feel this comfortable and fervid ever, which was unusual since they literally just met. Whatever this meant was something she had no idea on.

After another minute, they decided to head back to the meeting building. They came to the resolution that they would meet again in the forest again tomorrow at midday. It was best to head back now before Jinsoul's parents were to flip out.

Thankfully, they made it back just in time. As soon as they walked up to the garden, everyone in the building came filing out. 

"Guess I'll see you tomorrow," Jinsoul stated, ready to say goodbye.

Jungeun looked at her, opening her mouth to speak but paused. Instead, she grasped Jinsoul's hand using her left hand and placed her right hand on top of it, palms touching. There was a pink glow and Jinsoul felt a tingling sensation on the hand the fauna hybrid was holding. When Jungeun let go of her hand, there was a small flower in the palm of it. The flower had a long green stem with several small white petals.

"What is this?-" Jinsoul looked up to see that Jungeun was nowhere to be found. She was about to go looking for her but was unfortunately interrupted by her parents.

"There you are." The mother said as she walked up to her daughter. "We have a busy afternoon schedule so we have to get going."

"What is that horrendous thing on your head?" The father asked, glaring at the accessory on her head. "Did one of those fauna hybrids give it to you?"

"It's none of your business. What I do and who I talk to is none of your concern. So, continue being ignorant and disrespectful because I don't give a fuck." Jinsoul sneered as she walked back to the car. She was not ready for another conflict with her parents, especially not in public. She could hear her father shouting at her to come back until her mother ended up calming him down, but she tried to ignore it.

All that Jinsoul could focus on was the tiny flower that was in her hand.

***

Jinsoul turned on her laptop and began typing in the search bar. After hours of work, she would finally get an evening of rest. This would also mean she could finally investigate what was on her mind all afternoon. 

Jinsoul took the flower out of her pocket and began taking note of the details. Ever since Jungeun had given her that and mysteriously disappeared, she wondered what this even meant. From previous research, Jinsoul knew that flowers were an essential part of fauna dragon culture. They often use flowers as a symbol for many events or to express certain emotions. Some would even use it to communicate instead of using direct speech. 

Now, Jinsoul did not know much about flower symbolism but she was always willing to learn. Maybe this was the best place to start.

So she began to describe the flower in the search bar as best as she could since she had no clue of the name. Jinsoul scrolled through all of the possible candidates for the flower's identity and eventually found it.

"Sweet pea?..." Jinsoul read allowed as she found a picture of a flower similar to the one in her hand. She then searched up the meaning behind this plant, finding it instantly.

Turned out this flower had a fairly simple meaning of "farewells". The sweet pea flower was used to communicate "departure after a good time". Putting the context together, it seemed like Jungeun had used it to say goodbye in a respectful manner rather than saying it aloud.

This discovery made Jinsoul even more curious as she took the flower crown off her head to take a closer look at the flowers. She typed in the description of them into the search engine and found the flower she was looking for. It turned out to be a "ranunculus", which was something Jinsoul had never heard of. She was quick to search up the meaning and found an explanation she did not expect.

The flower's meaning was "radiant charm". If someone were to be given this, that would mean that the giver thought that the recipient was "attractive and charming". That made Jinsoul pause to think.

𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭?

It had to be since fauna hybrids take flower symbolism very seriously.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵...𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦?

That was the only explanation as to why she chose these flowers in particular. 

Jinsoul closed her laptop and stared at the flowers on her desk. If Jungeun truly had intentions given these to her, this would that the fauna hybrid had an interest in her - maybe even as much as Jinsoul did. This "interest" led to an unexplained fluttering feeling in her chest that would occur every time she thought about that girl. 

Even though it felt peculiar, Jinsoul kind of enjoyed feeling this way.

***

"So you actually showed up?" Jungeun asked as she saw Jinsoul walking up to her. "I didn't actually expect you would."

"Sorry, I'm late." Jinsoul apologized as she approached. "I had a....bit of work to do and my mother wouldn't leave me alone. But I'm free for the next few hours." 

"That's okay!" Jungeun said, dispelling the older woman's fear. "What should we do to celebrate your belated birthday? I'm open to anything!"

"I appreciate your offer, really, and we will do something but first... I have to ask you something."

"Uh, yes?" 

"Um, yesterday, those flowers you gave me... They had meaning, didn't they?"

"Well, of course! All flowers have meaning." 

"Well, yes, but the reason why you gave them to me?..."

"Oh, that!" Jungeun chuckled awkwardly. "I'm not very good at expressing what I feel. I stumble on my words or don't make much sense. Sometimes people even misunderstand me, which can be discouraging. So, I use flowers. I think that nature has a very poetic way of expressing emotions, even better than we can. I usually give flowers to people when I feel nervous and don't know how to say my thoughts properly. It kind of saves me the embarrassment."

"So, when you gave me this," Jinsoul took out the small flower from her pocket. "You wanted to say goodbye but just didn't know how to express your appreciation for our time together."

Jungeun nodded. "Exactly."

"And that flower crown..." Jinsoul breathed out before continuing. "You... admire me?"

"Mhm." Jungeun nodded again. "I'm surprised you know what they mean, especially coming from a city girl."

"Admittedly, I don't know much about flower language but I do love to research."

"That's quite commendable." Jungeun praised, shocked that Jinsoul took the time to look into it. Maybe, this girl was interested in her as she thought. 

"But, you think I'm attractive?"

"I do," Jungeun admitted, maybe a bit too quickly. "Because you are. You have this certain visual that I've never seen before. It's very eye-catching. That's...kind of why I was stalking you through the window."

"Uh-"

"Wait, I'm sorry! I wasn't supposed to say that!" Jungeun internally smacked herself for saying that so shamelessly. Now, this girl was going to think she was crazy. Although, the amused look on Jinsoul's face slightly said otherwise.

"No, it's okay!" Jinsoul reassured, laughing it off. "I kind of stalked you first before entering the building. So, if anything, we're both weirdos."

Jungeun laughed along with her initially. But then, it hit her what Jinsoul had said. That would mean that she was staring at her too, even before they met eyes. And that would also mean...

"Wait, why were you staring at me?"

"Oh, right," Jinsoul scratched the back of her head. "I feel...the same towards you. As in, I think you're attractive too. Most people where I live are very uptight and pretty much the same way. Whereas when I saw you, you just struck me as different. You have a very natural and innocent visual, which is cute."

"You think I'm cute?..."

"Yes, I do."

Jungeun's eyes blew wide as her brain short-circuited. She wanted to say thank you but she knew her words would only come out in a stutter. So, she did what she knew best.

Jungeun used some magic to conjure up a peach-colored rose in her hands, showing it Jinsoul as she bowed her head in embarrassment.

"Uh, hold on!" Jinsoul quickly pulled out her phone and started typing. After a minute, she giggled. "You're welcome." 

Jungeun looked back, blush still on her cheeks, and smiled thankfully. She hated herself for not being able to express gratitude but at least Jinsoul appeared to be understanding of that, which was something she could not say about her previous lovers.

"Now, we should probably get going to that belated birthday celebration."

"Oh, of course!" Jungeun nodded. "So, where did you have in mind?"

"Well, it's not much but... I think it will be enjoyable for the two of us." Jinsoul concluded. "You said before how much you love nature so I think this will be nice. But that's only if you're okay with traveling a little far."

"That's fine! If it's nature-related, I don't mind a bit of flying!"

"Then let's get going."

***

Just as Jinsoul had said, the distance was pretty far. They flew at fast speeds for about ten minutes before they reached their destination. It was in this pretty secluded area in a different forest near some mountains. They walked along a pathway before reaching a small lake in the middle of nowhere. 

"What is this place?" Jungeun asked.

"A special place," Jinsoul replied vaguely. "Remember how you said that Lympha does not have many places based on water? Well, this is the only place that actually does. I come here often when I need a place to relax and collect my thoughts."

"Wow...well this place looks beautiful." Jungeun complimented as she admired the scenery. "I can see why you like it here. This place has a...well, magical feel to it, for lack of a better word. Even the birds are enjoying it."

"Yeah- wait, the birds?"

"Yeah, oh right. You can't hear them." Jungeun giggled. "The birds are known for having a lot of observations. Like when we arrived, a few of them said hello! And right now, their songs are jovial so that means they're comfortable."

"You can tell all that from a few songs?"

"I can. Birds are pretty talkative creatures and usually speak what's on their mind. I should know since I have a lot of bird friends!"

Jinsoul found that fact about Jungeun very adorable for some reason. And as she heard the giggle escape from the fauna hybrid's lips, she had no choice but to grin.

"So, what do you want to do here?" Jungeun asked.

"Well, I'm not the kind of person to do something extravagant," Jinsoul explained. "And since you love nature and are interested in our culture, I thought we could do something that we both would like." 

Jinsoul walked closer to the edge of the lake, motioning Jungeun to join her. 

"I love to swim here all the time I can. Not just because this one of the only places that are good for swimming but because of what lies inside. So, I was thinking I could show you since I think you'll like it."

"Sure!" Jungeun quickly agreed. "But I wish I would have brought more... appropriate clothing."

Jinsoul eyed the dress that Jungeun was wearing, which was similar to the one from yesterday. It was the same style as the previous dress but with a pinkish color. She could see that was not ideal for swimming. 

Luckily, Jinsoul had a solution for this. 

"Stay still." 

Jinsoul moved her hands in a certain pattern and directed her spell at Jungeun. A few seconds later, a clear shiny covering surrounded the fauna hybrid's body and clothes. 

"What is this?" Jungeun said, awing at the unfamiliar look. 

"It's a spell that makes you waterproof. You and your clothes won't get wet and you can breathe underwater too."

"That's incredible!" Jungeun touched her skin and felt the watery covering, which tickled her fingers as it ran across her arm. 

"We should probably hurry," Jinsoul advised. "There's a lot to see." 

"Then lead the way!" 

Jinsoul and Jungeun took off their shoes and walked to the edge of the lake. They held each other's hands tightly as they jumped into the lake with a loud splash. As Jungeun came to the surface, she realized that she could not feel the water against her skin and was completely dry. Meanwhile, Jinsoul was completely wet, hair drenched, but did not appear to mind.

"You can swim, right?" Jinsoul asked for clarification.

"Yes, don't worry!" Jungeun confirmed.

"Alright, that's good. But still, make sure to hold my hand the entire time. It's a long way down and I don't want to lose you."

"Understood!"

And with that, they both completely descended underwater. While the adventure for Jinsoul was pretty routine, Jungeun felt like she entered this magical wonderland. The lake looks much larger underwater, appearing as if they were in this new world. The water was bright blue that shimmered from the sunlight above. The flora of the lake was pleasing to the eyes - a saturation of many colors embellishing the setting. But what truly caught Jungeun's attention was the lake's wildlife. There were fish and many other aquatic creatures all around them, swimming peacefully as they journeyed, all just as eye-catching and colorful as the plants. They were also very friendly since Jungeun heard the fish greet them as they passed. Overall, this place was breathtaking and she could see why Jinsoul enjoyed swimming here so much. Jungeun might even come here from time to time after this.

Jinsoul never thought she would have done this with anyone. While they were swimming, it struck her that she had brought somebody she just met yesterday to a place only she knew of. Not that Jinsoul was afraid that Jungeun would tell but moreso why she was comfortable enough to even show her. This is the first time since *him* that she exactly was willing to become close with someone. Jinsoul did not know why seeing this fauna hybrid's smile and hearing her giggles made her so happy.

Emotions were strange.

But seeing how joyful Jungeun was made Jinsoul tolerate the strangeness.

***

Jinsoul and Jungeun made it a routine for them to meet every week near that lake. Before it was a private spot just for the aqua hybrid but now it turned into a place for them both. They would meet every Saturday there at midday and would talk for hours. Sometimes they would venture out a bit but not too far as they did not want to get spotted together.

Meeting every week was always a challenge. Sometimes Jinsoul would be thirty minutes late because of work, or Jungeun would be stuck another twenty minutes because of one of her siblings. But they somehow still made a way to meet for at least an hour, whether one of them was late or not. Sometimes they would go swimming if they felt up to it, which Jinsoul was always eager for. Somehow, they would always make it work despite the challenges.

It continued like that for five months, up until December, with both of them learning more about the other over time.

The first time Jungeun had been really late was surprising. Jinsoul had been waiting for over an hour but the fauna hybrid did not show. She began to worry if the younger had gotten hurt or was sick. 

Luckily, Jungeun had come after almost an hour and a half. Turned out, it was not her who was harmed. Apparently, there was another girl that Jungeun needed to care for.

Jungeun brought Jinsoul to her own dimension for the first time, which would have been more exciting if it were not for the circumstances. Luckily, Jungeun promised to give her a tour later when the situation was not as dire. Eventually, they arrived at this small cottage on the outskirts of the village and entered. Jungeun stepped in first, looked around, and then motioned Jinsoul forward while telling her to be quiet.

"See, here she is," Jungeun announced in a whisper, looking towards the couch.

Jinsoul stared in that same direction and saw a girl laying on the couch, fast asleep. The girl was a dragon hybrid and, based on the scent, most likely a flame hybrid. She was not small, probably around Jinsoul's height, and looked to be younger but not by more than a few years (maybe thirteen?). The girl had jet-black hair that was wavy and disheveled. She was covered in bruises from head to toe - scratches, and burns all over her arms and legs. The girl looked like she had been attacked by another dragon, maybe even her own kind since there were burns.

"Who is she?" Jinsoul asked quietly.

"This is Hyejoo," Jungeun replied. "I met her almost a year ago when I was out doing errands. She has an abusive father at home and no one else is there to protect her since her mother had passed away. Because of that, she's often beaten up by him. I saw her in the forest after I had tended to my animals, in a similar state to this, and I offered to help. Hyejoo escapes to this place whenever she has a fight with her father and now I take care of her. She comes here at least three times a month so I thought I would give her a cottage for when she does come. Luckily, my animal friends would tell me if she came and I would stay here until she would go back home."

"Is she always this badly injured?" 

"Not always. Sometimes it's a small bruise on her arm that would patch up. But then, there are times like this... And I'm sorry I could not arrive sooner! Usually, she doesn't come on Saturdays but I guess her father was enraged today."

"No, it's fine. This is more important." Jinsoul reassured. "Hyejoo needs you, and it's so kind of you to take care of her."

"Thank you..." Jungeun smiled. "Hyejoo's body will heal most of the wounds, luckily. But she's probably going to be here overnight so if you want to stay here, you can."

Jinsoul pondered on the offer. Of course, she wanted to stay overnight. They only met up for a few hours so spending an entire night together would be nice. The only issue was if her parents were on board. Her father barely knew about her outings since he was usually out of the house for work and would only see her and her mother a couple of hours a week. Her mother did know she was out but Jinsoul would always say that she was with acting friends.

Even though her mother could get suspicious, Jinsoul was not about to pass up on the opportunity.

"Let me call my mother and tell her I'm staying at a friend's house for the night." Jinsoul decided. "Then I can stay."

"Really?" Jungeun exclaimed barely above a whisper. "That's great! I hope your mother won't mind."

"I hope so too." Jinsoul sighed. Her mother was usually nosy but hopefully, she will not look too much into it.

Luckily for them, her mother seemed to be okay with it. She asked a few questions but for the most part did not care, as long as they did not go out. 

Twenty minutes later, Jinsoul was able to meet Hyejoo for the first time as she finally woke up.

"Jungeun?..." Hyejoo spoke up hoarsely after rubbing her eyes. "You're back?..."

"Yeah, I am," Jungeun confirmed, stroking the top of Hyejoo's head. "I had to bring a friend over but I'm staying from now on. How are you feeling?"

"My body doesn't hurt as bad as earlier but it does sting in several places."

"Don't worry, sweetie." Jungeun comforted. "I'm going to start a herbal bath for you so you can relax and your body can heal. It should help ease the pain. Then we can have lunch, okay?"

"Okay, thank you." Hyejoo smiled softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," Jungeun said as she kissed Hyejoo on the forehead. 

That kiss. 

Why did Jinsoul feel weird when she saw that? It was a simple act of affection so she should not care about it. But when she saw the loving way Jungeun stared at Hyejoo, it made her feel so strange.

"Oh! And this is Jinsoul!" Jungeun introduced to Hyejoo. "She's the girl I always go to meet."

"Hello," Jinsoul said politely, trying to ignore what just happened.

"Hey..." Hyejoo waved before letting out a brief cough. 

"Anyways, let me set up Hyejoo, and then we can talk!" Jungeun explained as she assisted Hyejoo on standing. They walked down the hallway and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Jinsoul alone in the living room. 

Left alone, Jinsoul realized that she still had that strange feeling in her chest. She stared at the bathroom door, mind swarming with agitated thoughts. The feeling was clawing at her to know what was going on in there. 

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦? Jungeun already said what they were doing.

Jinsoul should not be caring but she was. 

𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦- 

𝘕𝘰, Jinsoul shook off the thought. There was no way that she was jealous. There was no reason for her to envious since she and Jungeun were just friends, that was it. All feelings she had towards the fauna hybrid was completely platonic. 

The weird feeling she had would go away.

At least, that was what she thought.

Spending the evening with Jungeun was enjoyable. Since they usually only met for a few hours, the fact that they got to spend the whole night was a pleasant experience.

Hyejoo mostly stayed out of their way for the following hours, noticing that the pair clearly wanted there alone time. Jungeun would check on her condition every hour to make sure the injuries were not getting worse, but the flame hybrid seemed to be recovering fast. Dragons can heal most injuries very quickly as long as the injury is not fatal. As long as Hyejoo's bruises are not agitated, she should be fully healed before morning.

By about ten in the evening, they all decided to go to bed. They all had to return home early in the morning so it was best to not stay up too late. The cottage only had two bedrooms, one for Jungeun and one for Hyejoo, so Jinsoul had offered to just sleep on the couch.

However, Jungeun had a different plan.

"We can both sleep in my bed if you want," Jungeun suggested as she was washing the dishes. "It's large enough for the both of us to share and I don't mind sleeping in the bed with others. Besides, I don't believe the couch would be very comfortable."

"Are you sure?" Jinsoul asked, stunned. 

"Yeah, of course!" Jungeun smiled. "Unless you're uncomfortable..."

"No! I'm okay with that." Jinsoul affirmed. "I really don't mind."

"Great! I guess we get to sleep together!"

"Uh, r-right." Jinsoul stuttered, chuckling nervously.

𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵?

Jinsoul tried to shake off the feeling as she stepped into the bedroom and started to get ready for sleep. While waiting for Jungeun, she got the chance to examine the small room. It was a simple bedroom with only a few necessities, which made sense since the house was only used occasionally. The only detail that caught Jinsoul's eye was the white flowers that were on tables on both sides of the bed. 

Ever since she met Jungeun, Jinsoul was attempting to learn flower language. The fauna hybrid would use the language often so it only seemed appropriate for her to learn it for herself. Jinsoul was never the best at memorizing; so learning about hundreds of flowers, how to identify them, and its meaning seemed almost impossible. To fix this issue, she downloaded an app on her phone that would be able to identify flowers in any picture and would provide the meaning behind them.

Jinsoul took a picture of the white flowers and instantly got the answer:

𝑵𝑨𝑴𝑬: 𝑾𝑯𝑰𝑻𝑬 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹

𝑺𝒀𝑴𝑩𝑶𝑳: 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵

𝑭𝑼𝑳𝑳 𝑴𝑬𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮: "𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑴𝑺 𝑾𝑰𝑳𝑳 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝑻𝑹𝑼𝑬"

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦, Jinsoul thought. 

Ten minutes later, Jungeun was still not in the bedroom. So, Jinsoul got up and went to go find her. It did not take long for her to find the younger after hearing her voice coming from Hyejoo's room. Initially, Jinsoul did not overthink this since Jungeun did say she wanted to check on Hyejoo before they slept.

But looking through the partly opened door, Jinsoul's heart completely sank. Both Jungeun and Hyejoo were in bed together - the flame hybrid sitting on the fauna hybrid's lap. Every now and then, Jungeun would peck kisses on Hyejoo's cheek while whispering words that Jinsoul could not comprehend. It felt like she had barged in on an intimate moment.

Jinsoul quickly backed away to avoid looking at the scene any longer. That itching feeling came creeping back in her chest and she felt slightly sick in her stomach. Jungeun never said that she and Hyejoo were dating but why else would they be close? There was no other explanation for that. The thought of those two being together made her feel so uncomfortable. 

Jinsoul headed back to the bedroom and go into the bed. She tried to take the image out of her head but it seemed to make an imprint on her mind. In the profound silence, she could hear her heart beating quicken, preventing her from falling asleep. That only caused more worrying thoughts to be injured in her head.

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦?

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘐 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥?

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥?

And the most prominent:

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧?

As the silence was interjected by the sound of the door creaking open, Jinsoul tried to suppress these thoughts so she could finally go to sleep. There were several footsteps until she felt the mattress shift. 

"Jinsoul?" Jungeun whispered. "Are you awake?"

Jinsoul was planning on not responding and pretending to sleep. But for some reason, she just could not bring herself to ignore the fauna hybrid.

"Yeah."

"Oh, well, I just wanted to say goodnight," Jungeun stated. "And I also wanted to know if you needed anything."

"I'm fine." 

"Oh okay, I'm sorry for taking so long. Hyejoo was having trouble falling asleep. She usually has nightmares so I have to comfort her until she sleeps again."

𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭? Jinsoul thought after she sighed. Although, she realized a little too late that the sigh was louder than expected.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just-" Jinsoul paused before continuing. "You and Hyejoo are... dating, right?"

"Uh, no." 

Jinsoul looked up at Jungeun suddenly. "What?" 

"Yeah, we're not together." Jungeun giggled. "Hyejoo is like my daughter, honestly. I never see her as anything more than that."

"But you two are always..."

"Kissing?" Jungeun finished. "That's something I always do with my friends and family. I mostly do it to comfort her but there's no romantic meaning behind it."

"So you don't like her romantically?"

"No, of course not!" Jungeun confirmed. "Why? Are you worried that I'm dating anyone?"

"I'm not worried about that!" Jinsoul denied, trying to sound calm but ended up sounding desperately defensive.

Jungeun seemed to have caught this and smirked at her. Without saying another word, she tucked herself under the covers and faced Jinsoul, chuckling.

"No, I'm single," Jungeun stated. "I thought what had occurred when we met made it obvious. I went through a rough break-up before and I wasn't really looking for love. I haven't dated anyone for like half a year. I thought I would never fall in love with anyone again because after three failed relationships, you kind of start losing hope. But you know, some people come along and...well-"

Then Jungeun just paused. Jinsoul was about to ask what happened but was interrupted by a lavender flower being shoved into her face. Jungeun remained silent as she gave her the flower, turning over after saying a simple "Good night".

After the confusion dissipated, Jinsoul reached for her phone that was on the bedside table. She took a quick picture and waited for the app to give her a response.

𝑵𝑨𝑴𝑬: 𝑺𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑳𝑬 𝑳𝑨𝑽𝑬𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹 𝑹𝑶𝑺𝑬

𝑺𝒀𝑴𝑩𝑶𝑳: "𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬 𝑨𝑻 𝑭𝑰𝑹𝑺𝑻 𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻"

𝑭𝑼𝑳𝑳 𝑴𝑬𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮: "𝑰 𝑨𝑴 𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑫 𝑩𝒀 𝒀𝑶𝑼."

Jinsoul turned to Jungeun wordlessly and then back at her phone. All of a sudden, that clawing in her chest completely faded away and was replaced by the feeling of butterflies. She still could not comprehend why her body reacted this way to such simple acts by the younger woman.

However, it was never unwelcomed.

***

Months went by and Jinsoul could tell that something was happening between them.

Ever since that night, nothing was the same again. Their weekly meetings slowly felt less like a get-together and more like dates. While they still remained near the lake when I'm Jinsoul's dimension, they would often go on "dates" in Jungeun's dimension. 

Jungeun had finally taken Jinsoul on the tour of her village, followed by her actually meeting the fauna hybrid's family. That day, Jinsoul was nervous that the parents would not like her for her dragon type, just like her own parents with Jungeun. But to her surprise, every family member had greeted her with open arms. She had dinner with them and thoroughly enjoyed her time there, even getting the opportunity to learn more about fauna dragon culture. Jungeun's siblings appeared to like her, constantly asking questions by her own culture and society. 

One thing that Jinsoul noticed was how open-minded Jungeun's parents were. They would often make jokes about how she and Jungeun would make a great couple, seemingly accepting of the idea of two hybrids from different types being in a relationship. She wished she could say the same about her own parents but at least she would not have to worry about Jungeun's parents despising her.

Speaking of her parents, Jinsoul was starting to become fed up with them. She never hated them, and still does not, but sometimes would be annoyed by their actions. With all the pushing they were doing in finding her a lover, it became imminent that they were not planning on giving up any time soon. There were several times where they would set her up on dates but would quickly have to decline. Jinsoul never told Jungeun this, as to not worry her - especially when things were going so great between them.

Jinsoul had never told Jungeun about her job and only small information about her family and past love life. She saw her time with the fauna hybrid as a break from her hectic life and did not want two to intermingle. However, it got increasingly hard when she would arrive late to their "dates" or her mother would ask where she had been that day. Somehow, Jinsoul made it work. For the most part, what happened between her and Jungeun remained sacred and that was what made her feel content.

That was until something she feared had occurred.

Jinsoul was with Jungeun that day, eating dinner together at her cottage. She decided to scroll through her phone and check some text messages. That was when she saw a message from one of her friends:

> ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʀᴜᴍᴏʀꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ?

Now initially, Jinsoul was pretty calm about the situation. This was not the first there had been speculations since it was the price of being a celebrity. Once, there were rumors that she and this one man she was acting with were dating. Soon, he came out as gay so that rumor fizzled out. Jinsoul was ready to click on this exaggerated article and just have a quick laugh about it. 

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Jinsoul's eyes widened and jaw dropped as she saw the article. There were several pictures of her and Jungeun at the lake they used to meet at. Most of them were innocent but there were a few that included them in more intimate positions. One of the photos even included Jungeun sitting on Jinsoul's lap while cuddling, bodies wet after a swim. The article was making claims that the two of them were dating, referring to Jungeun as "a fauna hybrid". The pictures had been taken over months and continued up until they took a break from meeting up there.

Jinsoul was shocked that anyone could have known of that location since it was private. Clearly whoever took those pictures was purposely looking for her and had been stalking her for a while. That made Jinsoul terrified that there could be a stalker, or even stalkers, that is monitoring her. Luckily, these pictures were only from her dimension so it is possible that they do not know about this cottage. But if they knew that Jungeun was a fauna hybrid, it would not be long before they would find them here.

Now, the relationship between them was special. They were technically dating but never called each other as "girlfriend". They eventually figured out that since they were always together and clearly had not-so-platonic feelings towards one another, it would be fitting for them to just call it as it is. But Jinsoul never had any plans of making this public, not when her dimension was so discriminatory towards any other dragon type. This was not only for her sake but for Jungeun's safety. 

After a minute of blank staring, Jungeun noticed the petrified expression on Jinsoul's face.

"What's wrong?" Jungeun asked, bringing Jinsoul out of her dark thoughts. 

"N-Nothing." Jinsoul stuttered, trying to stay composed as she put her phone back in her pocket. "Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure? You look scared about something."

"Yeah, I'm alright." Jinsoul waved dismissively. "I'm just a little tired from work, that's all."

Jungeun hummed but did not sound convinced. She ruminated for a while before a bright smile grew on her face, eyes twinkling with an idea.

"Come with me," Jungeun instructed as she held on to Jinsoul's hand, pulling her out of the chair.

"Where are we going?" Jinsoul asked.

"We're going to go somewhere special," Jungeun explained, both of them walking out of the cottage.

***

"Keep your eyes closed."

Jinsoul followed these demands, in addition to putting her hands over her eyes. They had been walking for five minutes and finally arrived at where Jungeun wanted to go. However, she would have to wait a little longer before she could see where it was. 

"Give me a few minutes," Jungeun said before Jinsoul heard her walking away.

About six or seven minutes later, Jungeun finally came back, eagerness in her voice.

"Alright, open them!" 

Jinsoul opened her eyes and witnessed the most enchanting scene she had ever seen in her life. The first detail she noticed was how there were hundreds of fireflies above and around them, looking like tiny stars as they illuminated the night sky. The second detail was the birds flying near the treetops and was decorating the trees with different flowers and ribbons. When Jinsoul turned around, she saw more animals creating a picnic set up; including a blanket, picnic basket, and more decorative flowers. 

"How did you do all this?..." Jinsoul asked, still in awe.

"When I said I was friends with a lot of animals, I really meant it." Jungeun giggled. "When I told them about you, they wanted to this for us. They can be pretty imaginative!"

"Why do you all want to do all this for me?..."

"Because I...I just felt like the time is right." Jungeun explained shyly. "It's been almost a year since we met and I thought we are becoming something...special. We've been going dates all the time so I thought it was time to move on to the next level. And...um,"

Jungeun held both hands behind her back for a few seconds before she showed Jinsoul two red roses in one hand and a red ribbon in the other, blushing profusely. Jinsoul already had an idea of what that would mean, considering both the context and the type of flowers. She read about the meaning of roses and knew what this was implying.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is... I really like you. So, I was wondering if we could..."

Jinsoul fully understood what Jungeun was trying to say and therefore knew what the roses were supposed to represent. She took one of the roses out of the fauna hybrid's hand, as well as the ribbon. She gently lifted Jungeun's hand, the one with the second rose in it, and put her own rose next to it. 

"We have known each other for almost a year now." Jinsoul began to explain. "And during the time we met, I didn't know where this would lead. Now, I have an inkling of where this is going. There's a lot I have to think about but I am sure that there is something between us. I'm not sure if this is love per se but I know that I have certain feelings for you. I want us to figure it out together, even if it takes time."

"So, what are you saying?..."

Jinsoul smiled as she brought the ribbon towards the flowers.

"Hold them together," Jinsoul instructed, causing Jungeun to hold both roses beside each other. Jinsoul took the ribbon and tied it around the stems of the red flowers, tying it into a neat little bow. Jungeun's eyes widened as she gasped.

"You want to..."

"Yes." Jinsoul nodded. "Let's be together."

Jungeun grinned from ear to ear just before she leaned in to give Jinsoul a hug. The aqua hybrid instantly hugged her back, both of them savoring in the warm embrace. Cozy feelings imbued in their chests as they kept their embrace for over a minute. Even when they finally pulled away, their hearts were beating at a rapid pace.

Jinsoul brought a gentle hand on Jungeun's cheek, caressing the area with her thumb. She stared at Jungeun with loving eyes, her gaze wandering to her peach-colored lips. She paused before commencing with what she was eager to do.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yes, you can." Jungeun consented.

Not wasting another second, Jinsoul leaned forward so that their lips finally made contact. As her own lips rubbed against the soft lips of the fauna hybrid, it felt as though the butterflies in her chest had been released. Their eyes closed as the first kiss was planted, followed by another, and then a few more. Jinsoul's head tilted to deepen the kiss while Jungeun's hands slid to the older woman's waist, the roses' stem pressing against her side. They continued to kiss for another minute, only breaking away so they catch a breath. 

Jinsoul did not know what the future holds. She knew that her parents are going to scold her when she goes home and that she would have to deal with the scrutiny of media, even more than usual. But she was willing to put up with that if it would mean she got to be with Jungeun. Whatever this led to, Jinsoul was ready to face it, no matter how troublesome. 

Tonight, Jinsoul and Jungeun were going to enjoy this beautiful moment together, leaving any fears for later.

For the rest of the evening, they enjoyed their small picnic - kissing and cuddling each other under the stars.

***

As she expected, Jinsoul had to face her parents in the morning. As soon as she entered the house, her mother and father were standing in the living room, arms crossed.

"Where have you been?" The father asked strictly as soon as she entered the room.

"Hanging with some friends." Jinsoul simply replied.

"Please do not lie to us, sweetie." The mother advised, trying to stay cordial. "We have seen the pictures."

"We told you not to be around those creatures and you refused to listen!" The father scolded, starting to raise his voice. "Now everyone thinks my daughter is dating some fauna hybrid! Do you have any idea of how egregious this kind of publicity is? This will bring shame to our family!"

"Calm down, honey." The mother instructed before addressing Jinsoul: "Is it true that you two are dating?"

"Yes, we are," Jinsoul responded after a sigh. "We were just friends for a long time and only started dating recently."

Jinsoul could have lied but it could have only made the situation worse. They would have to know eventually so it was better to just get it over with.

"How dare you defy us!" The father yelled. "You have disobeyed me for the last time! Your mother always tries to protect you but not this time! I have worked hard to give you everything you need - a career, wealth, and a prosperous foreseeable future! But you always throw away my hard work so you can prance around and act out! And now you decide to date some loathsome fauna! She does nothing for you and is not even close to your worth! That thing will mooch off you and will only want you for your wealth! We have told you this since you were young but you never listen! You will break up with her this instant!"

"First of all," Jinsoul glared at her father, fists clenched. "Do not disdain or disrespect my girlfriend! Whether or not you care for fauna hybrids is your problem, but you will not belittle her due to your prejudice! Secondly, you may have given me all of this wealth and popularity but who said I wanted that?! Ever since I was around twelve years old, I have said that I did not want to be in the spotlight! I wanted a normal life where I can do what I desire, and not what you or the media forces upon me! But you both kept making me act in movies or do modeling, even when I clearly despise it! At this point, I do not have any more fucks to give about what you two want from me!"

Jinsoul was about to leave the living room and go up the stairs before her mother called out to her.

"Darling, wait!" 

"No, mother!" Jinsoul shouted back. "I am moving out of this house and living with my girlfriend! I will not tolerate this bullshit any longer!"

Jinsoul could have sworn to hear both of her parents shouting at her to come back but she slammed the door before she could decipher any of it. She gathered all the essentials she would need, ready to leave after spending her whole childhood and adolescence in this house. Jinsoul was turning eighteen in a few days and therefore could legally live on her own. This was a moment she had been anticipating for years and she was able to leave. Obviously, she still had to deal with the media but hopefully, since only Lympha citizens knew of her, she would be able to live a normal life in Alirtura. She would have to lay low for a while but it was worth it.

She did not shed any tears since she had no more to give. 

This was what she had to do, and Jinsoul was more than ready to do it.

Once Jinsoul packed a small suitcase, she got ready for teleportation. Every hybrid had the ability to teleport after practice, so she did not have to leave the house to get to Jungeun. 

In a mere ten seconds, Jinsoul had disappeared from her bedroom and reappeared in the living room of Jungeun's cottage. The fauna hybrid was sitting there, immediately setting down the book she was reading as soon as she saw her.

"Jinsoul?" Jungeun stood up, glancing at the suitcase. "What happened-"

Jinsoul did not wait for Jungeun to finish her question, dropping the suitcase and pulling the younger into a tight hug. 

"I left," Jinsoul replied quietly. "I have a lot to explain but... I couldn't take it. The important thing is that I'm staying here with you."

Jungeun, who was initially unsure of what the older was insinuating, eventually became aware of what was going on. Jinsoul could not see her reaction but as soon as she felt arms wrapping around her torso, she knew that they were on the same page.

This was the start of a new chapter in Jinsoul's life, and she was going to take full advantage of it.

***

Over the years, the love between Jinsoul and Jungeun only grew.

Ever since that day, Jinsoul lived in the cottage with Jungeun. It took a while for her to get used to the environment and new way of life but she became adjusted fairly quickly. At first, Jungeun had to go home frequently to take care of her siblings and help her parents. Over time, her family would allow her to live on her own without repeatedly coming to their home. She would still visit weekly but that gradually reduced to monthly. 

With all the time they now had, they were able to do much more than they could ever do before. The couple would wake up in the morning and would be eager to do new activities.

One hobby that they both shared was sewing. Once, they decided to make each other an outfit just for fun. Jinsoul had struggled but, with Jungeun's guidance, was able to create something. Jungeun clearly had a talent with sewing - making her girlfriend a sleeveless shirt top and blue jeans. That only added to the pressure that Jinsoul felt to make her outfit perfect.

"I'm almost done!" Jungeun called out from the bedroom. 

Jinsoul anxiously waited for how the fauna hybrid would look in the outfit she struggled to make.

"Okay, I'm done!" 

When Jungeun exited the bedroom, Jinsoul's jaw dropped. She wore a long floral maxi dress, colored white with pink and yellow flowers. She wore a flower crown that matched the designs, which they had conveniently made a week ago. The outfit complemented the younger hybrid too well. 

As Jinsoul watched her girlfriend come closer to her, her eyes would examine every feature of not only the outfit but the beautiful girl who was in it. When they stood in front of the mirror, she was completely mesmerized by how sublime they looked together. So it could not be helped when a minute later they would be making out on the couch.

There was another reason why that memory was so vivid.

It was the first time they had sex with one another, which would always be Jinsoul's favorite memory. Time had slowed down as they moved from the couch to the bedroom, clothes coming off on the way. While Jinsoul had the experience, this would be Jungeun's first. So, the older woman took her time, making sure that the younger woman felt good. The sounds of her whimpers and moans were confirmation that Jinsoul had succeeded, in addition to it being ingrained in her mind. It was a surreal event for both of them as they entered a new stage in their relationship.

Jungeun would often look back at this moment and joke about how they only made clothes just to take them off, which they both would laugh when thinking about it.

Over time, they would become more confident in bed and tried new things that they both would love. Soon they had a surplus of unforgettable moments that would be stuck in their head for years to come.

Turns out that Hyejoo became a major aspect of their lives. Issues with her father continued to get worse until it finally reached its peak. Jungeun had found Hyejoo in a broken state after a huge fight and made the difficult decision to take Hyejoo into their cottage permanently. Now that the girl was eighteen, she would be able to escape just like Jinsoul. That day, Jinsoul and Jungeun became the "mothers" of Hyejoo. Obviously, they were not adopting her since she was only two years younger than the fauna hybrid, but they still treated her like their child. 

Now they were like a family of three, their bond becoming stronger.

Jungeun was more than joyful about this development but was worried if her girlfriend and "daughter" would get along. However, that worry became history when she came home once to see both of them on the couch - Hyejoo sitting on Jinsoul's lap as they napped together. 

Needless to say, that became Jungeun's favorite memory up to that point. 

There were times when Jinsoul did not feel as cheerful, however. Sometimes, she would look at articles speculating on where she was. She would read the comments that would call Jungeun a "whore" or "bastard" or would degrade the younger for having any ties to her. But Jungeun would always bring her out of those dark thoughts and helped her feel happy again. 

Once, when in bed together, Jinsoul finally opened up to her about her past and why this bothered her so much. She told Jungeun about her rough childhood and how her parents would force the celebrity life onto her. 

"I can't believe your parents would force that upon you," Jungeun claimed after hearing the story. 

"I still can't either." Jinsoul sighed. "Ever since I was born they wanted me to a prominent figure in the public eye. I'm not trying to sound ungrateful but I've told them that I didn't want the media always analyzing my life."

"That's understandable. I would be stressed if I had that life."

"But I think the reason why I became more resentful towards them was what happened with my ex-boyfriend."

"You...had a boyfriend?" Jungeun asked in amazement.

"Yeah, I did." Jinsoul took a deep breath before continuing. "My mother set us up together when I was fifteen and he was eighteen. He was tolerable so I agreed to go on a few dates. I actually kind of liked him so we decided to become a couple, much to my parents' excitement. But soon after we got together, he...changed. He would treat me like I was less important and that I was "made to serve him". I would have to follow his rules or risk... getting physically and mentally harmed. I eventually got the chance to escape the relationship. Even after I opened up to my parents about it, they still thought I should have tolerated it. They believe that we should still be together, which really pissed me off."

"How could they be okay with that?!" 

"I have the exact answer but I just assume that they didn't want to deal with the "negative attention" that this kind of scandal would cause."

"Still, they could have at least comforted you..." 

Jinsoul sighed. "I know."

"I'm sorry..." Jungeun sympathized. "I know that must have been traumatizing for you to go through. I wish I could have been there to comfort you instead of you having to deal with the trauma alone."

"You don't need to be sorry, baby. It's in the past now and I'm in a much better place. Leaving my celebrity lifestyle behind was the best thing I've ever done because I'm much happier."

"Are you truly?" 

"Yes, I am," Jinsoul confirmed. "For starters, I don't have to deal with my parents anymore or having to maintain a "perfect" public image. And most importantly..."

Jinsoul placed a chaste kiss on Jungeun's lips, catching the fauna hybrid off guard.

"I'm with someone I actually love."

"You love me?" Jungeun asked, cheeks burning red.

"Yes, I do," Jinsoul claimed with a chuckle. "I love everything about you and I enjoy every minute I spend with you. You're just too perfect for me and I feel incredibly lucky to get to date someone as kind-hearted and heavenly as you."

"Uh- I-"

Jinsoul reached behind her and grabbed a familiar pair of flowers from the bedside table. It was the two red roses that they had tied together years ago - a symbol of their bond. Jinsoul brought the roses to her lips, kissing the part wear the ribbon was tied into a bow. She then gave Jungeun the same pair of roses, who slowly took it from her with hesitancy. The younger woman looked at the older woman's eyes as she tried to make sure that her girlfriend was serious. But when she was greeted with a warm smile and a nod, the answer became clear.

Jungeun kissed the ribbon at the same place Jinsoul did. As soon as this occurred, the red roses began to shift colors. The shade of red faded into a rainbow, each petal being a different color.

What was happening was a part of a fauna hybrid culture. From what Jinsoul read, whenever a couple involving at least one fauna dragon confessed their mutual love towards each other, they would kiss the roses that were tied together at the start of their relationship. The kiss from at least one fauna hybrid would cause the roses to change into a rainbow, only if the love was truthfully mutual. It signified the start of an intimate phase in the relationship and the optimism for how the bond will develop.

Jungeun immediately started crying as she witnessed the roses change before her eyes. The couple ended up happily crying while holding each other close, which led to them making love with one another.

It was definitely the best night of their lives.

"Jinsoul?"

"Hm?"

"I know that you always try to act tough and don't share your true emotions often. But I want you to know that you never have to hide anything from me. I will always be there to support you and cheer you up. Like you said when we first met: 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭. 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴."

Jinsoul smiled. "I know."

Eventually, as the comments and articles became less frequent, Jinsoul would stop worrying about what the public would say. She had a new life ahead of her and now had better aspects to focus on.

More years past and more people were added to their "family". They first met Heejin, who Jinsoul and Jungeun had met after a trip they had to Zephyrus, the wind dragon dimension. The wind hybrid would come to visit them weekly, becoming a close friend. They also met Sooyoung and Haseul, who both had troublesome pasts. Sooyoung was a death dragon, coming from Nox, and had escaped from a similar situation as Hyejoo; leading the two to be like sisters. Haseul would visit less frequently over time but they still loved her all the same. 

Jinsoul relished in this new life she was living - a tranquil lifestyle, new friends, no longer being thrust into the limelight.

And obviously, her lovely girlfriend.

They both missed going to the lake they had bonded in. But they could no longer go there as that would run the risk of having people in Lympha find them. Maybe they would return after Jinsoul was long forgotten, but that would take a while. Although, her parents had never spoken up about her again to the public as if she never existed. It was clear to see that they had no remorse. 

Jinsoul tried to suppress the thought since she had more important things to care about.

For example, what she was about to do.

It had been eight years since they have met, with Jinsoul being twenty-five and Jungeun being twenty-three. Throughout this time, their love had grown and flourished. Every moment they spent together was surreal and magical. They rarely ever fought and, when they did, they often made up within minutes. They were both in a constant buoyant mood and woke up every day in a state of euphoria.

That was when Jinsoul knew that it was time for the next stage in their relationship.

Before she could pop the life-changing question, there were a few things she needed to do to prepare. When it came to fauna hybrids, marriage proposals had to be done in a certain way. They were taken very seriously and Jinsoul did not want to mess it up. 

One day, while Jungeun was out, Jinsoul went to the fauna hybrid's parents' home and ask for advice. If anyone would know how it should be done, it would be them.

"I've been thinking this over for quite a while," Jinsoul began, setting down the cup of tea on the table. "And I decided to propose to Jungeun."

"Oh my goodness!" Jungeun's mother gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. 

"It was about time!" Jungeun's father exclaimed.

"My daughter is finally going to get married!" 

"U-Uh, yes but I kind of need help with the proposal part," Jinsoul explained. "I understand that fauna hybrids have certain ways of proposing, as well as with wedding ceremonies. I don't want to mess it up so I was wondering if you can help me."

"Of course, sweetie!" Jungeun's mother agreed excitedly. 

"We will guide you every step of the way." Jungeun's father affirmed, which made Jinsoul more confident.

"Alright, so what you need to do first is..."

***

"Baby, I'm home!" Jungeun set down her fruit basket on the table. She looked around, puzzled by the lack of a response. Hyejoo was staying at Heejin's place for a few days, leaving her and Jinsoul alone in the house. They made plans for tomorrow but, right now, all Jungeun wanted to do was to take pleasure in an evening with just the two of them. 

"Babe?" Jungeun called out again but received no reply. Just as she began to feel worried, she noticed something laying on the same table. It was a note and it read:

𝙼𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝, 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎.

\- 𝙹𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚕

Jungeun raised an eyebrow, dumbfounded. Jinsoul had been acting peculiar lately but even this was a little odd. But she was still eager to see where this would lead to, so Jungeun left the house to head to the location.

At one point when she walking down the pathway, Jungeun came across a trail of flower petals. She picked up one of the petals and immediately recognized it to be a part of a red rose. 

𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵, Jungeun thought as her eyes widened. 𝘐𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦...?

Jungeun continued to walk down the decorated path, her heartbeat racing as she approached the location. Eventually, Jinsoul finally came into view. As the whole scene became clearer, Jungeun gasped as tears welled up in her eyes.

Jinsoul stood there in the middle of a circle of flowers, a variety of colors and types. Stepping closer, she had a flower crown in her hands. Jungeun recognized the type of flowers as the "peony", which simply stood for "happy marriage", as well as "good health" and "joyfulness" from the moment of the proposal and until the very end. That made her certain of what was happening, continuing to cry as she walked up to the circle.

"J-Jinsoul?" Jungeun stuttered. "Are you actually...?"

"Yes." Jinsoul smiled. "I am "

With the knowledge of what was occurring, Jungeun stepped into the circle of flowers and in front of Jinsoul. Once she did so, the aqua hybrid took a deep breath as she mentally prepared herself.

"So, um, I literally learned this in a day so I might make a mistake," Jinsoul whispered with a chuckle.

"It's alright, honey," Jungeun whispered back encouragingly. "Take your time."

"Okay, uh," Jinsoul cleared her throat. "I've been thinking about this for a long time. We have been dating for almost seven years, knowing each other for almost eight. From the first day, I saw you, I just had this unexplainable feeling. I had this inkling that there was something special about you, and they led me to want to meet you. Honestly, I was not sure how far this was going to go; whether we would just be friends or something more. And then, every time we met every week to talk, I realized how much I really liked you. You just had this aura that made me smile every time I see you or even mention your name. Whenever you got excited while talking about your hobbies and interests, it would instantly make my day. Whenever you giggled or laughed, I got this fluttering feeling in my chest that I could not ignore."

Jinsoul, who had been avoided eye contact this entire time, looked at Jungeun to find her continuing to cry. The fauna hybrid smiled and nodded, urging her to resume.

"Then you confessed your feelings for me. That day, I was stressed over the pictures of us that were leaked to the public. But when you brought me to this beautiful picnic and asked me to be your girlfriend, it made all my worries fade away. That led me to have the strength to confront my parents and eventually leave them behind. Whenever I was anxious or tense, you always had the ability to cheer me up. Now, I'm in a much better place mentally. All of these years we've lived together were the best years of my life and it's all because of you. I still can't believe we've made it all these years as a couple, but here we are."

Jinsoul played with the flower crown in her hands out of nervousness - her heart beating loudly in her chest.

"All my life I felt trapped in a world I didn't want to be in. After breaking up with my ex, I swore that I wouldn't date anyone again. I realized that the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with was someone who could 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦. Then, I found you. And then I started living here with you. Every moment I spend with you is euphoric and I wouldn't trade this life for any other. You have helped me to discover more about myself, and not I feel so free. So, what I'm trying to say is...that..."

Jinsoul met Jungeun's watery eyes, lifting the flower crown in her hands as she asked:

"Will you marry me?"

That was when Jungeun began to son loudly, an uncontrollable smile as she nodded repeatedly.

"Yes!!" Jungeun exclaimed between sobs. "Of course I will!!"

Jinsoul started crying as she heard the response. She took the flower crown and placed it on Jungeun's head, completing the last phase of the proposal. She then brought her now fiance into a tight hug, crying profusely while whispering loving words to one another. After they calmed down, the couple pulled away to admire each other with affectionate eyes.

"I love you."

Jungeun sniffled. "I love you too."

Just before Jinsoul was about to make her next move, there was a sudden commotion coming from behind them. Startled, they turned around to find Jungeun's animal friends, all of them making various noises, trying to cheer them on. Jungeun burst into laughter when she noticed.

"Thanks, guys!" Jungeun said, addressing the animals. 

"How did they...?" 

"Remember when I said that birds were very observant?" Jungeun asked. "Well, they have been spying on you while you were setting this up. And then they told everyone else."

"Uh-" Jinsoul chuckled. "Of course they did..."

"We should probably go somewhere more... private." 

"Yeah, let's." Jinsoul agreed, holding hands as they walked back to the cottage.

With all of the emotions coming from this sentimental moment and the fact that they had the whole house to themselves, it was surely going to be a long night.

***

The months leading up to the wedding ceremony was hectic. To put it simply, it turned out that fauna hybrids took weddings 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 seriously.

There was a lot that needed to be done and they did not have much time to waste. The first decision that needed to be made was the location of the wedding. After a short discussion, they decided that wanted it to be at the lake where they formed all those memories. The only issue was that the lake was in Lympha, which could likely mean that they would be spotted. But Jinsoul was adamant and knew that there was no other better option. Plus, it had been years since they have been there so there was a chance that they would be okay.

Following this decision, they began to prepare everything else that needed to be done. Luckily, money was not an issue since fauna hybrid weddings were small and not too expensive. They also had the help of Jungeun's large family so it allowed them to save a lot. For example, the wedding dresses were going to be sewn by her aunt, who owned a tailor shop. A lot of Jungeun's family offered to provide the cake and additional food dishes as well. Jinsoul felt guilty for allowing them to do so much but Jungeun reassured her that this was a part of their culture. 

One unique detail that was apart of fauna hybrid weddings was the inclusion of nature. Besides all weddings taken place outdoors, nature was greatly emphasized and played a major role. As Jungeun's mother said: "𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴". 

The first facet that needed to be decided was the flowers that would be present at the wedding. One thing that Jinsoul was told was that the type of flowers that would decorate the venue had to represent the spouses and their journey perfectly. Jinsoul and Jungeun had chosen three types of flowers: 

𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

• 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆: "𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧"

𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐙𝐈𝐀 

• 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆: "𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦"

𝐘𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐋𝐈𝐋𝐘

• 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆: "𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬/𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭"

The first flower described how they met. The moment they saw each other, they became fascinated by the other person, which led them to keep meeting up and building up their relationship. The second referred to what Jinsoul had mentioned in their speech. They always felt free when they spent time together, so the flower represented their bond well. The third flower was more of what Jinsoul wanted to convey to Jungeun. She was overwhelmingly thankful for how much her fiance had changed her life for the better. Jinsoul enjoyed every single minute they were with each other, so this final flower was a perfect combination of both.

After giving Jungeun's family this information, the final task that needed to be done was the invites. This was supposed to be a small wedding so they did not invite many people. The only people that got an invitation were Jungeun's family and both of their friends, aka Hyejoo, Heejin, Sooyoung, and Haseul. The attendance would be about thirtyish guests, which was what they wanted.

Jinsoul has been thinking if she should invite her parents, however, the answer was complicated. Her parents have never reached out ever since she left all those years ago. Even on social media and interviews, they often avoided talking about her. Jinsoul wondered if they had any remorse for what they have done. But she was not going to contact them if they truly did not care for her. Jinsoul was in too good of a mood for it to be ruined by her parents. If they truly loved her, then they would have contacted her years ago.

But still, something strange happened a week before the wedding.

Jinsoul, Jungeun, and all of their friends decided to take a trip to Zephyrus, wind hybrid dimension/Heejin's home, before the event. It was only supposed to be for two nights and was supposed to be a trip where they can unwind before what was going to occur. 

The second night during the trip was when something unexpected occurred.

All six of them were in a hotel room, drinking and having a small party between them. It was about nine in the evening and was just about to settle down for a movie. Just as Jinsoul and Jungeun were getting cuddled up on the couch, the aqua hybrid received a call from her phone. She was originally going to let it ring and answer it after the movie but she ended up checking the caller ID.

Jinsoul leaned back suddenly as her jaw dropped, making everyone turn to her with confusion.

"Honey?" Jungeun questioned. "What's wrong?"

"It's my..." Jinsoul began. "It's my mother..."

"What the fuck does she want?" Heejin snapped when she heard the name. Every one of them knew of what Jinsoul's parents did and all shared the same disgust towards them. 

"Yeah, hasn't it been, like, seven years?" Hyejoo asked, raising an eyebrow with suspicion. "What could she possibly want?"

"Who knows." Jinsoul shrugged. "But, it is weird..."

"Well, better late than fucking never, I guess," Sooyoung remarked, rolling her eyes. 

"Maybe you should call her back," Haseul suggested. "There could be an intention with why she decided to contact you after so long. It is possible that she feels apologetic."

"Yeah, but are those intentions good or bad?" Heejin grumbled before taking a sip of wine. 

"Well, there is the only way to find out."

Everyone looked at Jinsoul, anticipating what she was going to do.

"You should at least hear her out," Jungeun advised, placing a supportive hand on her fiance's lap. "Maybe she truly wants to apologize. Even if it's for a selfish reason, you will know and not have the answer weighing on your mind."

"Alright," Jinsoul agreed, standing up to go somewhere private. "I'll go talk to her. You guys can start the movie without me."

Jinsoul walked out of the living room and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Before calling back, she took a minute to breathe as her heart pounded. She did not know why she felt so nervous talking to her mother again. It had been years and maybe her parents have changed, or maybe not. The only way to know was to finally talk to them.

Jinsoul waited as her phone began to ring, waiting for her mother to answer.

"𝘑𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭?"

"Mom? Why are you calling me?"

"𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨!"

"Seriously? After 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 years?"

"𝘐..." Jinsoul heard her mother sigh. "𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨?"

Jinsoul was conflicted. On one side, her parents could be remorseful and truly wanted to make amends. One the other side, they could still be close-minded and this could be just an opportunity to push their narratives. But, she decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and hear them out.

"Sure," Jinsoul agreed. "I'll come over to your place at around eleven in the morning."

"𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯. 𝘉𝘺𝘦."

"Bye." Jinsoul ended the call, putting her phone in her pocket as she returned to the living room. She sat next to Jungeun, who was watching the movie that had been put on.

"How did it go?" Jungeun asked, turning away from the movie. 

"Good, actually," Jinsoul stated as she put her arm around Jungeun's shoulders. "They want to meet with me so we can talk. I agreed so I'm going to see them tomorrow morning. I'm going to have to teleport there right after we leave. Hopefully, it won't take too long."

"Take all the time you need," Jungeun reassured. "This is your parents and it will be a great way to rebuild your relationship. Besides, everything for the wedding ceremony is ready. The week is just for us to relax. Go see what they want to say. I mean, you might even be able to invite them."

"Maybe," Jinsoul sighed. "But I won't invite them if they're not apologetic. That day is about us and I don't want them to ruin it."

"I agree with that. Whatever you feel is the best, I'll be right behind you."

Jinsoul did not know what to expect from tomorrow's conversation. The only way to know is to be patient.

***

"Please sit down." 

Jinsoul sat down at the kitchen table, in front of her parents. Both of her parents glanced at each other, sighing before addressing their daughter.

"So, we want to apologize." The mother began. "What we have done to you since you were young was wrong. We used you for attention and forced you to be in the spotlight, even though you said you did not want to be. We thought we were doing the best for you but, in actuality, we were hurting you. You were unhappy and we never took your feelings into account. Even after you left, we did not realize the error of our ways. Then we started reflecting on what we have done and looked at it from your perspective. That was when it dawned on us that the way we treated you was deplorable. We told you that it was okay to stay with an abuser, which is never alright. You were in pain and we only made it worse. We are proud of you for escaping that relationship. We never thought our actions were unjustified but it was never right. Our behavior was shameful and we are truly sorry."

"Additionally, I want to address the reason that fight occurred." The father began. "You and...your girlfriend. The way I talked about her was inexcusable and downright discriminatory. She is just as valid as the rest of us. Whoever you decide to love is not our place to judge, no matter what our opinions are. If you want to date this woman then we are more than okay with that. We love you regardless and want you to be happy."

Jinsoul took a minute to process the apology before speaking.

"I... It will take time before I can fully forgive you." Jinsoul claimed. "I do accept your apology but I need time before I can move on. However, the way you spoke about Jungeun and fauna hybrids, in general, was vile. You have to say sorry to her first because that part isn't mine to forgive."

"We understand and appreciate that you want to hear us out." The mother thanked. "We don't expect you to forgive us if you don't want to. We just wanted to convey our thoughts since we felt so guilty."

"Precisely." The father agreed. 

"That's fine." Jinsoul nodded. 

"So, um..." The mother started to ask. "How have you been doing? How is Jungeun doing as well?"

"We're fine," Jinsoul replied. "Our relationship is going well and I've accustomed to life in Alirtura quite easily."

"Oh, how nice!" 

There was a moment of silence.

"Also," Jinsoul continued. "We are getting married in less than a week."

"O-Oh." The mother sat up in shock. "Congratulations, sweetie!"

"We're happy for you." The father added.

"Thank you." Jinsoul smiled softly. "The reason I'm bringing this up is...maybe you could come."

"Really?" The mother perked up to the invitation. "You actually want us to come?"

"Yes, I do," Jinsoul confirmed. "It would be nice to have my parents there. Also, the fact that you made the first move makes me believe that you are truly regretful. So, you both can come. Just make sure to not draw any attention to the event. I really don't want anyone outside of our families and my close friends to know."

"We can do that." The father stated before smiling. "Thank you."

"It's fine." Jinsoul stood up from her chair. "I have to get going and help Jungeun with the preparations. I'll text you the details of the event."

"Alrighty then." The mother agreed but sounded disappointed. Jinsoul seemed to notice the tone shift and paused as she was exiting the kitchen. She turned around and gave both of her parents a hug, smiling throughout.

"I missed you," Jinsoul whispered to them.

"We missed you too."

***

Finally, the day had arrived. If you asked Jinsoul during her teenage years that she was going to marry someone, she would have thought you were insane. But here she was - getting dressed for the big day.

Jinsoul was being assisted by a few of Jungeun's family members and her own mother. The dress that she was wearing was a mermaid silhouette dress, black colored with a silver waistline and iridescent gems. Jungeun's aunt had done a stellar job making the dresses and sewn an outfit that matched her well. Jinsoul wondered what Jungeun's dress looked like, considering how beautiful hers was.

"You look stunning, sweetie." The mother complimented as she finished with her daughter's make-up. 

"Thank you, mother." Jinsoul smiled. "For both the compliment and for all your help."

"You don't need to thank me. I owe you this." The mother stated. "Besides, I thought this would be a great opportunity for us to bond after years of not seeing each other."

The smile on Jinsoul's face grew. It had been so long since that have had a genuine conversation that would not turn into an argument. They still had time before the ceremony was supposed to begin, so this was a good opportunity.

"I'm overjoyed that you found someone like Jungeun." The mother commented. "I was talking to her the other day and she seems like such a kind-hearted person. I can see why you like her."

Jinsoul was more than thrilled that her mother and Jungeun were getting along. Two days earlier, they all decided to meet up for several reasons. For one, her mother and father wanted to apologize for their rude behavior and discriminatory words that were directed at her. Jungeun forgave them with no harsh feelings, following with them staying over at the couple's cottage for dinner. They got to know each other better and enjoyed the evening thoroughly. 

"She is," Jinsoul accorded reflectively. "She is an angel. I love her very much."

"I can tell by the way you smile when thinking about her. You really are in love."

"Yeah," Jinsoul chuckled. "I am."

***

"Well, aren't you heavenly?"

Jungeun turned around as she heard the sound of her great-grandmother speaking.

"You're too kind." Jungeun giggled. 

"I'm simply speaking the truth." The great-grandmother corrected with a smile.

The elder was right - Jungeun did look ethereal. She wore a pure white ball gown with tiny sequins all over the dress. A white veil was draped over her face, which was painted with light make-up that only enhanced her beauty. Additionally, she had a flower crown on top of her head - the same one that Jinsoul had given her during the proposal. 

"I'm so nervous..." Jungeun confessed as she put a hand on her chest. "I know today's supposed to be my big day, along with Jinsoul's, but I'm worried about how this will turn out. I... really never thought I would be getting married..."

"Really? You didn't think you would be?" The great-grandmother snickered as she pointed to her own wrist. Jungeun eyes her skeptically before releasing what she was hinting to.

"My fate flower..." Jungeun looked down at her wrist, where the tattoo of the myrtle was. 

"It was destined for this to happen eventually."

"I know but...my marriage seems pretty normal." Jungeun pointed out. "We actually took longer than most couples. I don't think I had that much luck..."

"Oh honey," The great-grandmother chuckled. "The flower doesn't mean that you would marry early. It meant that you would find someone who would be perfect for you, which would lead to a successful marriage. It would mean that there would be a person out there that is an ideal match for you. No matter if you get married in a few months or a few years, it's the person you're marrying that matters. And I think it is pretty lucky to have found someone like Jinsoul, don't you think?"

"You're... actually right." Jungeun realized. Jinsoul was a perfect match for her, there was no denying that. Even before the proposal, they still felt like a married couple and their love never seemed to falter. Whether they married years earlier or years later, it would not change how they feel towards one another.

"Of course I'm right. I'm mentally old and wise, after all." The great-grandmother teased. "All jokes aside, I'm proud of you and wish you the best."

"Thank you," Jungeun said as she pulled the elder into a hug. "For everything..."

"You're welcome. I'm just doing my job."

"The wedding is about to start!! We have to get going!!" Someone called out, prompting them to cut their conversation short.

"Well, it's time." The great-grandmother announced. "Enjoy your day, sweetie."

Jungeun grinned. "I will."

***

It is incredulous to think that it had been eight years. One moment they were admiring each other from afar and now they were standing there in front of tons of people, ready to officially get married. When Jinsoul saw the love of her life pulling up to the venue on a horse (yes, a 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦. apparently, that was normal at fauna hybrid weddings.), the corners of her lips were upturned to the point where uncontrollable smile remained on her face throughout the whole ceremony. From the introduction to the exchange of the vows, it was a heartwarming experience for not only the couple but for every guest present. 

There were several aspects that were unique to fauna hybrid weddings. Besides the bride riding a horse to the venue, another special detail was the integration of the bonding flowers. Bonding flowers was what Jinsoul and Jungeun had done when starting the relationship - the tying of the red roses that later turned rainbow due to their love. These roses were tied again with a white ribbon, symbolizing marriage. Over time, the flower petals would become white as the matrimony became more substantial. Not so strangely, Jinsoul could see that the petals were already turning white, foreshadowing the loving nature of their marriage. 

Finally, it was time to seal the union.

"I now pronounce you as wives." The officiant declared. "You may have your first kiss as a married couple."

As the guests erupted into applause, the couple shared a fond smile before Jinsoul lifted Jungeun's veil and pulled her into a kiss. The action took place for ten seconds before they broke away, cheeks burning from the attention. Over time, they blocked out everyone else around them and entered their own little world. Staring into each other's eyes, they knew that they shared the same thoughts and hopes for the future.

As the afternoon turned into evening and the sun fell from the horizon, all the couple could focus on was each other and the shared fascination of how far they had come.

***

Jinsoul sat at the edge of the lake, her legs dipped into the warm water. It was a summer's afternoon, so the sun shined from highest in the sky, tanning her pale skin. 

Jinsoul had been sitting there for half an hour, reminiscing on the past. It had been almost a year since she and Jungeun had gotten married. Life was amazing - better than it had ever been before. Not only her relationship with Jungeun but the friends she had met along the way. There were a few mishaps, unfortunately, with Sooyoung leaving them behind and Haseul being more reserved. That did put a damper on the pleasant mood. But, for the most part, everything was going quite well. 

As Jinsoul was deep in her thoughts, she felt something brush against her leg. Looking downwards, she saw a small pink flower floating near her on the lake. Jinsoul grinned as she picked up the small flower and placed it in the palms of her hands. She had been studying flower language for the past few years now and knew the meaning of every single flower she came across. So seeing this one appear by her made her giggle at the coincidence.

It was a lotus, a pretty rare flower in this dimension, which only made her more surprised. The reason for it being a happenstance was the meaning behind this flower.

The lotus symbolized "rebirth" and "a new life's phase".

And right now, Jinsoul felt like had resurged into a new existence - one that she was eager to where all this would lead.

**Author's Note:**

> > eager to where all this would lead.
> 
> Oh Jinsoul, if only you knew ;-;
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this side story!
> 
> Next 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐌𝐄 side story: ViSeul date (and it will be a lot shorter than this one lol maybe about 3,000 words!)
> 
> Also, if any newcomers enjoyed this story, make sure to check out 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐌𝐄 (𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏) as well!
> 
> see you all soon! love you!


End file.
